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<title>Say Another Prayer For The Lost And Lonely by TheJediCat</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29050194">Say Another Prayer For The Lost And Lonely</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJediCat/pseuds/TheJediCat'>TheJediCat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Scared Merlin, banished merlin, confused arthur, when is he not tho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:53:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>295</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29050194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJediCat/pseuds/TheJediCat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After discovering Merlin's magic, Arthur sends him away, never to return. </p><p>Merlin sleeps rough in the woods while Arthur broods in the castle.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Say Another Prayer For The Lost And Lonely</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yeah, I don't know what this was either</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The fire flickered orange and red, creating a small sphere of light against the gathering gloom. Shivering, Merlin pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and clutched the old sword in his fist. It was the only object Arthur had let him take when he was banished for his magic.</p><p>Merlin was grateful for that small mercy.</p><p>He begged himself not to fall asleep; begged his eyes not to close; begged his breath not to slow; begged his head not to droop because sleeping would leave him vulnerable and these woods were infested with bandits and thugs. No, sleeping was not an option. But he was so tired. So very tired. He could not be vulnerable.</p><p>Not here. Not Anywhere.</p><p>*******</p><p>Arthur stared unseeingly into the flames. He was numb but not with cold. He was empty: devoid of any and all emotions. He had been ever since Merlin...</p><p>Since Merlin's magic had been revealed; since he'd sent him away from Camelot; since Merlin had betrayed his trust forever. Since he'd lost the only person who could possibly hope to understand him. </p><p>He was empty. Perhaps it was easier than conflict. Perhaps he didn't know what to feel and so felt nothing. Or perhaps he was feeling something he'd never felt before and didn't know what to make of it so labelled it as nothing. </p><p>He expected himself to be angry, Hurt, to lash out but he was still and silent and horribly serene. And the cold, clinical serenity and composure cut deeper than any sword. Burned more brightly than any spell. It hurt. The serenity hurt.</p><p>It hurt because he wanted to feel. Something. Anything! He wanted to be angry, sad, excited, terrified, content, Hurt, jealous, disgusted, confused. Anything was better than this empty torment.</p>
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